Ironman is annually one of the top high school tournaments in the country and is an incredible kickoff to the high school season every year. Once again, we have an absolutely loaded field from top to bottom this year filled with potential rematches and showdowns wrestling fans have been looking forward to for years. Check out the top potential matches we could see at the 2025 Ironman before action gets underway this weekend in Ohio!

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2025 Ironman

165 lbs - #1 Melvin Miller, Bishop McCort vs. #2 Jayden James, Delbarton 

This match has unquestionably the most anticipated match in high school for at least a year. These two have been on a collision course while dominating their competition. Miller is a three-time Fargo champion, two-time Super 32 champion, and a two-time PIAA champion but still is looking for his first Ironman title after third and second place finishes the last two seasons. James dominated his way to his first New Jersey state title last season, and then followed that up with a U17 World gold medal at 70 kg in Athens this summer along with a runner-up finish at the U20 World Team Trials. Many fans hoped to see this showdown between the #1 recruit in the Class of 2027 Big Board and the #3 recruit in the Class of 2026 Big Board at Who's Number One this fall but were forced to wait. 

Interestingly, Miller defeated James' former Delbarton teammate Alessio Perentin last year in their Powerade finals bout to secure Bishop McCort the team title. James later fell 4-1 to former teammate Perentin in the opening round of the Clarion Open. Another interesting wrinkle in this one is Miller is committed to wrestle at Virginia Tech, while James was previously committed to the Hokies before flipping his commitment to Penn State. If we are to get this match in the finals this weekend, it should absolutely be the main event, with the winner coming away with the #1 ranking at 165 pounds. 

Watch Melvin Miller defeat current NCAA #5 Brandon Cannon at the Clarion Open

Watch Jayden James win his U17 World Championship

150 lbs - #1 Bo Bassett, Bishop McCort vs. #4 Joe Bachmann, Faith Christian Academy 

Bo Bassett is looking to make history once again this weekend. The four-time Super 32, three-time Powerade, and two-time PIAA champion is also in position to join a very exclusive list of four-time Ironman champions that currently has only has two names on it: David Taylor and Zahid Valencia. Bassett has seemed to have made another leap in progression recently after dominating his way through the Clarion Open with bonus point wins over NCAA #2 Jaxon Joy and #10 Caleb Tyus, while also earning tech fall wins over multiple-time All-Americans Sam Latona and Beau Bartlett to win the Bill Farrell Memorial last month. Joe Bachmann is looking to make history of his own this weekend as well, however. Bachmann is a two-time Ironman and two-time PIAA champion through his first two high school seasons, and will be tested along the way if he were to reach the finals to face Bassett. This matchup also plays into the team race in a very meaningful way, as Bishop McCort and Faith Christian Academy are the #1 and #2 teams in the country on the Flo 40 National High School Wrestling Team Rankings coming into this weekend, and finished as the top two schools in the country last season as well. Much like the first match on this list, another interesting wrinkle here is that Bachmann recently just made his commitment to Iowa, the school Bassett was previously committed to prior to flipping to Virginia Tech. Neither of these guys have ever lost in this tournament, but only one can come away with the 150-pound Ironman title. 

Watch Bassett finish off a perfect tech fall-only 2024 Ironman for his third title

Watch Bachmann win his second Ironman title in 2024

132 lbs - #1 Jayden Raney, Union County vs. #4 Fred Bachmann, Faith Christian Academy

Jayden Raney is one of the most exciting wrestlers in the entire country. The Oklahoma State commit is coming off a summer in which he represented the United States on the Senior Greco World Team. Fred Bachmann is coming off a dominant freshman campaign in which he finished the year 43-0, while picking up Ironman, Beast of the East, Escape the Rock, and PIAA titles. This matchup is extremely interesting as these two present very different styles. Raney is a very in-your-face wrestler always looking to create action and throws the kitchen sink at you, while Bachmann, despite being just a sophomore, is a master tactician and is very hard to open up but knows exactly what he has to do to win every match he's in. After falling in a crazy 10-7 SV Ironman final last season to Jax Forrest, Raney is looking for his first title to close out his Ironman career, while Bachmann could win his second Ironman title in as many tries this weekend. These two are heavy favorites to make the finals and it will be an incredibly interesting matchup if they are to hit.

Watch Raney fall to Jax Forrest in a wild 2024 Ironman final

Watch Bachmann win his first Ironman title in 2024

175 lbs - #1 Nicholas Singer, Faith Christian Academy vs. #2 Joseph Jeter, Edmond North

Another incredible potential matchup here as we could see the rematch that decided the #1 ranking at 175 pounds at Who's Number One this fall in the finals. Singer is a two-time Ironman placer but did not make the starting lineup for Faith Christian Academy for the postseason his freshman year. It looked like a very similar situation was coming last season for Singer prior to an injury that took Cael Weidemoyer out of the lineup, and Singer stepped in and made the most of his opportunity and won the 172-pound PIAA championship. The Ohio State commit has been on a tear ever since, winning Fargo and then following that up by defeating Jeter 12-5 at Who's Number One. If Jeter, a Cornell commit, wants to reverse that result from October, he's gotta find a way to slow the match down and keep Singer off his legs, as Singer did an incredible job of getting to legs and navigated his way through with some untraditional finishes. I'm very much looking forward to how the rematch may look. 

Watch Singer and Jeter hit at the 2025 Who's Number One Event

126 lbs - #2 Paul Kenny, Christian Brothers Academy vs. #3 Grey Burnett, Perrysburg

These two have been wrestling each other dating all the way back to the 2016 Super 32, but most recently hit in the best-of-three finals at the U17 World Team Trials in 2023, with Kenny ultimately coming away two matches to none before going on to win the U17 World championship at 48 kg. Since then these two have made incredible improvements, as they are not only ranked #2 and #3 at 126 pounds, but are also #5 and #6 on the Class of 2027 Big Board, respectively. These two could be battling for many years to come as well in the Big Ten, as Kenny is committed to Iowa, while Burnett, the reigning U17 World Bronze medalist at 55 kg, is committed to Penn State. I'm very excited to see who comes out on top of this one this weekend. 

Watch Kenny defeat Burnett to make the 2023 U17 World Team

113 lbs - #1 Rylan Seacrist, Brecksville vs. #2 Justin Farnsworth, Malvern Prep

Another #1 vs. #2 is in the works at 113 pounds. These two met this summer in the Junior Fargo finals at 113 pounds this summer, and it was a very tight bout until Seacrist was able to blow it open with a four-point double leg with about 40 seconds to go in the second period, eventually winning the match, 6-1. This match is not guaranteed to happen, however, as this weight class is extremely loaded up towards the top. Seacrist will likely have to go through either #8 Turner Ross or U17 World Champion #9 Keegan Bassett in the semifinals, while Farnsworth will likely see #6 Caleb Noble in the semifinals, which would be a rematch of the 2024 Ironman finals at 106 pounds that Noble was able to win 4-1 in sudden victory. Buckle up for an extremely exciting weight class at 113 pounds this weekend!

Watch Seacrist defeat Farnsworth in the 2025 Junior Fargo finals

144 lbs - #1 Jordyn Raney, Union County vs. #3 Tyler Dekraker, Lake Highland Prep

Much like his twin brother Jayden, Jordyn Raney is must-watch every time he takes the mat. The Oklahoma State commit is coming off a summer in which he mostly dominated his way through Fargo for the Junior 138 title, and unfortunately had to injury default early in the match against Bo Bassett at Who's Number One where Raney bumped up to 150 pounds for the main event against Bassett before getting injured. Dekraker is representing a new school this year at Lake Highland Prep and had a very productive off-season as well. The future Minnesota Golden Gopher was third in Fargo and won Super 32 and also defeated Kellen Wolbert at Who's Number One but is now making the jump up to 144 pounds this weekend. We could see a lot of really fun scrambles and exchanges between these two as both guys really mix it up. But don't overlook guys like #3 Clinton Shepherd, #6 Gavin Mangano, and Matthew O'Neill, who will also be in the mix at this weight class as well. 

190 lbs - #3 Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic vs. #4 Aaron Stewart, Warren Township

These two actually met just a couple of weeks ago at the Marmion Cadet Classic, with Mastny coming out on top 4-1 which flipped these two rankings at 190 pounds. Mastny has made a jump this offseason and won Super 32 this fall at 190 pounds, while Stewart is a four-time Fargo champion and was on the U17 World Team this summer at 80 kg. This matchup will likely happen in the semifinals, with the winner likely to see #1 Adam Waters in the finals. I'm interested to see if Stewart is able to flip the result in the rematch between these two Illinois studs and make his second Ironman final, or if Mastny continues his run of success. 

Watch Mastny defeat Stewart at the Marmion Cadet Classic

157 lbs - #3 Justus Heeg, Providence Catholic vs. #4 Zeno Moore, Lake Highland Prep

Justus Heeg had a really productive off-season after winning an Illinois state title as a freshman. Heeg was second at U17 World Team Trials to Jayden James, then followed that up with a third-place finish at Fargo, then went on an impressive run at Super 32 to win the 157-pound belt. Zeno Moore dominated his way through National Preps last year before winning NHSCAs, finished fourth in Junior Fargo, and was third at Super 32 in the same weight that Heeg won. These two actually hit in the Consi of 32 round at Super 32 in 2024, with the Stanford commit Moore coming out on top 3-2 in tiebreakers. This match is likely another very competitive one that could happen in the semifinals, with the winner likely earning a matchup with #2 Wyatt Medlin in the finals. 

Watch Moore defeat Heeg at the 2024 Super 32

120 lbs - #3 Domenic Munaretto, St. Charles East vs. #5 Cameron Sontz, Delbarton 

These are two of the most exciting lightweights in the country. Munaretto, an Ohio State commit, won the U17 World Championships in 2024 and has been at towards the top of the rankings his entire career. Sontz, a Lehigh commit, is a two-time New Jersey state champion, dominated his way through Powerade last season, and was a Fargo runner-up this summer. 120 pounds is a pretty solid weight class with other ranked guys like #8 Jovanni Tovar, #9 Alex Rozas, #17 Michael Batista, and #19 Case Bell in the field but I expect these two to come through and hit in the finals. This could be a very interesting battle as Sontz fires off a lot of leg attacks while Munaretto is very good in the scrambles. Be ready for an awesome bout if these two meet for the 120 pound Ironman title. 

Tune in LIVE this weekend on FloWrestling to see all of these incredible potential matches and much much more at the 2025 Ironman!